The head of the Ministry of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced that 19,922 soldiers are directly involved in flood relief, drawn from the General Command, Operational Forces, Territorial Defense, the Army Academy, and the Military Aviation Academy. Their tasks include reinforcing embankments, aiding evacuations, conducting preventive patrols, providing medical care, removing debris, performing technical work, and carrying out disinfection. He stressed that the army would remain in the flood-affected areas as long as necessary.
In an evening crisis staff meeting in Wrocław, Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that the armed forces are carrying out all assigned duties across all affected districts.
He described the soldiers responsibilities as including strengthening dikes, assisting with evacuations, conducting preventive patrols, delivering medical aid, removing damage, and performing technical and disinfection operations.
The minister stated that there are 19,922 soldiers directly engaged in the operations. The force includes personnel from the General Command, Operational Forces, Territorial Defense, the Army Academy, and the Military Aviation Academy.
He noted that this is the largest military operation in thirty years.
Never before have so many soldiers been involved in a single operation, in one location, within such a limited area, he emphasized, thanking supporters for their help.
The Deputy Prime Minister reported that 4,000 people had been evacuated so far. Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled the launch of a special operation named Phoenix on Thursday, aimed at rebuilding regions hit by the flood.
It is very important to complete as much cleanup as possible in the coming days, as it improves functioning in the immediate environment, he pointed out.
Operation Phoenix is scheduled for the end of the year.
He reassured that the army would stay in the flood-affected areas for as long as necessary. There is no fixed end date; Operation Phoenix is scheduled to last until the end of this year, but if required, the army will remain longer.
The minister also spoke about the army’s medical support, overseen by deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, Cezary Tomczyk. He announced that the hospital in Nysa is fully operational and that one of the first patients is a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
He is prepared for triage, supplies, assistance, and minor interventions, the situation at the hospital indicated.
The army is also present in mobile clinics that reach the most affected places, such as Lewin Brzeski, where the city was still largely underwater today. In the most difficult-to-reach places a mobile clinic will be deployed there as well, he explained.
As Kosiniak-Kamysz noted, the military has already largely assembled the structures needed to build bridges, with work planned to take four to five days and twelve locations identified so far. If further reports emerge, regional authorities are asked to inform the ministry promptly.
The minister added that mobile units have secured 24 water treatment plants. A plant that guarantees access to safe water and sanitation is among the biggest challenges today, and coordination at the district level is crucial to ensure supply lines connect properly.
The army is now moving toward upstream areas to perform cleaning and securing in places where water has receded, while downstream the dikes are reinforced where necessary before the flood wave arrives. All these activities are planned sequentially, he reported.